


Memorable

by afteriwake, sideofrawr



Series: Stuff Of Improbable Legends [25]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Dinner, Eating, F/M, First Dates, Flirty McCoy, Flirty Molly, Fluff, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, New Orleans, POV Alternating, POV Leonard McCoy, POV Molly Hooper, Restaurants, Roleplay Logs, Romantic Fluff, Smitten McCoy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 01:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7413097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sideofrawr/pseuds/sideofrawr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even though they're already <i>technically</i> dating, having been locked in a guest house and living together for days now, McCoy wants to give Molly a proper (and spectacularly memorable) first date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memorable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sideofrawr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sideofrawr/gifts).



> So this is another one of those logs that **sideofrawr** and I started that I went ahead and finished as a fic. I had so much fun with this, I really did. As you can tell, I truly adore these two. They are my OTP. This is set February 18th, 2016, BTW, in case you are interested, around 7 PM.

It was probably a little silly that he wanted so badly to take Molly out on a real date, after everything they’d been through, especially after the last several days. They’d left each others sides long enough to go to their respective jobs, but for most of the last week, they’d been virtually inseparable, spending nearly every waking moment together. After all the time they’d spent denying their feelings for one another, neither of them had wanted to waste any more time by spending their time apart any more than they had to.

He’d made reservations at [Arnaud's](https://www.arnaudsrestaurant.com/), though he’d refused to tell her where they were going. That was probably silly, too, but he wanted his plans for their evening to be a surprise. He wanted this to be like a real date. Like he was doing things properly.

McCoy had gone to his own apartment when he was done at the clinic rather than back to the cabin so that he could shower and change into some nicer clothing. Once he was ready, he stopped off at a florist and picked up a bouquet of [irises](http://i.imgur.com/9bTiIl5.jpg) and then he drove back toward the cabin. He felt a little foolish knocking on the door, as though he hadn’t been practically living there, himself, since they’d been let out of Jim’s guest house, but if he was going to take her out on a proper date, it seemed like the right thing to do, so he knocked and waited for her to answer.

**\---**

She had almost had to cancel, or at the very least have him tell her where they were going to go for their meal to meet him there. She had been lucky that Rose’s issues had been serious but not overly so, just needing complete bed rest to be safe, but after that, her day had been much more harried and stressful. The only thing keeping her going was the date and the fact Leonard had agreed to move in without hesitation.

She hadn’t had enough time to buy something new and impressive, but she had some of the dresses from the shopping trip in abroad she had gone on with some of the women in Lawrence and her eyes fell [on a dress](https://s32.postimg.org/o5uw2tvl1/8c2b610d2f40f2c6d1a3bba0a2e44000.jpg) she was sure Leonard hadn't seen her in before. She only had twenty minutes to get ready, so she quickly put on the dress, pulled her hair into a knot at the nape of her neck and then looked for a necklace and earrings to wear.

She was still searching when she heard the knock at the door. Her eyes widened and she quickly put on a pair of heels before going to the door, giving him a wide smile. “You certainly do dress to impress,” she said appreciatively.

**\---**

“Well, it _is_ our first date,” he answered with a smile. His eyes moved over her, taking in the sight of her in that dress. He’d meant it when he’d said she’d look beautiful even in a paper bag, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t really appreciate the sight of her in that dress. It fit her perfectly, showing curves he was beginning to know like the back of his own hand. He’d be lying if he said there wasn’t a part of him that wanted to help her right back out of that dress and just spend their evening in here. Fortunately, his desire to take her out, just as he’d said he would, was stronger.

“You look....” There didn’t really seem to be a word that was good enough. “Amazing,” was what he finally settled on. Belatedly, he remembered the flowers and held them out to her. “These are for you,” he added. He was second-guessing his decision to not get roses. They’d seemed so cliche at the florist. These irises had seemed better, somehow, but he wondered if she’d think he was ridiculous. It was probably insane that he was so nervous, after everything they’d been through together, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted tonight to be perfect for her. He wanted to woo her, even if she’d already told him multiple times that she loved him.

**\---**

She blushed at the compliment, and then her eyes widened and her smile grew warmer as she took the arrangement from him. “Oh, I love them,” she said. “They’re even kind of Mardi Gras colors, which are rather appropriate, considering our relationship.” She leaned over and gave him a soft, lingering kiss, being careful not to crush the flowers. “Thank you.”

She turned and made her way back inside, setting the arrangement on the coffee table. “I wasn’t quite ready,” she said when she turned to face him again. “I wanted to add some jewelry and freshen up my makeup. You're more than welcome to join me in the bedroom if you don't think you'll try and keep me there.”

**\---**

“I was looking for a bouquet as beautiful as my date, but I had to settle for these instead.” It was a cheesy line, one he would have teased anyone else for using, but he couldn’t seem to help saying things like that around her. At any rate, he was glad she liked the flowers.

He followed her inside, grinning at her next words. “No promises,” he teased, although he knew he would exercise his self-control and make sure they left the cabin on time to make their reservations, no matter how tempting it might be to do otherwise.

**\---**

She laughed softly. It was a rather corny line, and something she hadn't quite imagined him saying, but that just made it even better. She even felt herself blushing slightly as she brought the flowers up to her nose. “You flatter me, Leonard,” she said. “And feel free to do that anytime.”

She went to the kitchen first, putting the flowers in a vase and filling it with water. She arranged them a bit and then took the vase to her bedroom to set on the dresser so she could look at them every morning and evening. She looked at her jewelry choices and picked a three stone faux diamond pendant and matching earrings. She glanced at him in the mirror. “So do I get a hint of where we're going yet?” she asked.

**\---**

McCoy leaned against the door frame, watching her as she continued with her getting ready. She looked beautiful, but it wasn’t because of the dress or the jewelry or anything special she’d done tonight. Molly, herself, was beautiful. He found himself watching her like this often and marveling over the fact that she was _his_. He didn’t even have the words for how much he loved her.

“Nope,” he answered her promptly, grinning because he knew not knowing was probably driving her nuts. “You’ll find out when we get there.” She’d probably figure it out before the actually arrived, knowing her, considering how well they both knew the city by now, but that didn’t mean he was going to ruin the surprise and let her figure it out now.

“That is, if I even let you leave this room. I’m still half tempted to help you back out of that dress and miss our reservations,” he admitted. He was joking, partly. There was a part of him that wanted to do exactly that, but he was determined to make good on his promise to take her out on a real date.

**\---**

“As much as I know you’re joking I have half a mind to let you,” she said, turning to give him a smile. “That had been on my mind quite a bit today, to be honest. Did you know that I got lost in quite a lurid fantasy in my office and ended up having a colleague walk in and the first words out of their mouth were ‘Somebody got lucky’ and all I could do was just grin stupidly and nod? And _then_ I dished details. That was quite fun.”

She pulled her attention away from him and began looking for her heels. If he was going to make it an actual proper date she expected it might be a rather involved one so she wanted something nice but comfortable. She wore heels often from going to social events in order to promote the clinic and get donations to supplement the money she invested. She went to her closet and looked around, bending over in a way she was _fairly_ sure made her backside look appealing. “You might want to avert your gaze if you have any intention of us leaving,” she quipped.

**\---**

He raised his brow at that. “Is this story supposed to make me want to leave this cabin anytime soon? Because, you know, it’s kind of doing the opposite.” He was partly teasing, but he’d be lying if he claimed he wasn’t at least a little tempted. Maybe even more than a little. Luckily, he actually had a fair amount of self-control when he wanted. If going out tonight wasn’t so important to him, he might have given in.

Rather than taking her advice, he watched her and admired the sight as she bent over to find her heels. “What do you take me for, someone with absolutely no self-control?” he joked back.

**\---**

She chuckled at that. “Well, if nothing else, I suppose that you might have made plans for a leisurely date but I might have other ideas, possibly,” she said, finishing up at her dresser and giving him a look that promised he was in for _quite_ the interesting evening for having gone to all this trouble.

She found her heels and slipped them on, then came over and put a hand on his chest, leaning in close. “Considering how long I have known you, no, I don't. I think you'll be on your best behaviour tonight. I just don't know if _I_ will have my normal level of self-control around _you_ tonight.”

**\---**

“I guess it’s a good thing I have enough self-control for both of us.” It would have been really easy to give in, especially with the look she was giving him, but he actually did have a pretty decent amount of self-control. He didn’t always feel like exercising it, but tonight was different. Tonight, he had plans for them.

“It’s been three years and I’m finally taking you out on a real date, so you’re just going to have to be a _little_ patient,” he added as he leaned in to kiss her again. They were going to need to get going soon if they wanted to make the reservation, but he could make time for one more kiss.

Eventually, they made it out to his car and he drove them to Arnaud's with just a few minutes to spare before their reservation. It was someplace a little fancier than they’d normally go for dinner, but this was technically their first date and he wanted to take her somewhere special.

**\---**

She looked around the restaurant, taking it in with a very wide smile. She even let Leonard pull out her chair for her, being the gentleman she always knew he was. “You certainly are trying to impress,” she said, reaching over for his hand once they were settled. “And you are definitely succeeding. This is a very nice place.”

When she removed her hand she began to study the menu. There was a lot that sounded very interesting and very tempting. She was torn between the Oysters Kathryn or the Mushrooms Veronique. She was leaning towards the oysters because it had been quite a long time since she’d had them. “Anything in particular catching your eye, Leonard?” she asked.

**\---**

“I should’ve done this three years ago,” he said, shrugging. “Maybe I just wanna make up for lost time. Besides, you need a little spoiling now and then.” Seeing her impressed made him smile, but just being around Molly did that often enough. He’d been happier since knowing her and happier still in the days since they’d finally stopped fighting their feelings for each other and got together.

He looked over the menu and tried to decide what he wanted. “Maybe the Shrimp Creole,” he thought out loud. “Did you want to get an appetizer?” He’d already placed an order for a nice bottle of wine when they’d been seated.

**\---**

“Well, I will admit, spoiling is nice,” she said with a warm smile. To be honest, it had been quite a long time since she’d _had_ anyone even attempt to woo her. Back home, her dates with Tom had been nice but not overly showstopping, and in Lawrence Khan had been...well, he had tried, a bit, but the two of them had rather been homebodies for the most part. She had the feeling that this relationship with Leonard would be something very different to what she was used to, and she was quite eager for it.

She nodded. “I’m torn between the Oysters Kathryn or the Mushrooms Veronique,” she said. “They both sound delectable but I’m not really sure which one I’d prefer. It’s been a long time since I’ve had oysters, but I do love a good mushroom dish. Do you want anything?”

**\---**

“I’ll try and spoil you as often as you’ll let me,” he said, enjoying seeing the smile on her face. He knew she’d fight him if he tried to do it all the time. That’s the type of woman she was, someone who wanted to give more than receive even when really she deserved the best of everything. He’d try and spoil her in little ways more than big ones, even if it was just a lunch out on days when she was extra busy or an extra coffee on her long days. Anything to keep that smile on her face.

He tilted his head slightly. “Live dangerously and get the oysters,” he said. “Besides, it could lead to a much more interesting evening when the date’s over. You never know.” He looked over at the appetizers listed. “The Shrimp Arnaud sounds interesting. It’s their signature dish.”

**\---**

She laughed and then began looking at the menu to see what she might want for her entree. “It’s only really effective if we both have oysters, and you’re having Shrimp Arnaud. We may have to share each other's appetizers,” she pointed out giving him a rather flirtatious look. “Not that I mind. I do enjoy a good shrimp dish.”

Their waiter arrived then to take their orders and bring their wine, and while neither of them had picked out their entrees they gave him their appetizer dish orders. When he left she picked up her glass of wine and raised it slightly. “To a very successful first date,” she said, moving it towards him.

**\---**

He picked up his own glass. “And to many more to come,” he said before tapping his glass against hers. When he pulled it away he took a sip. He wasn’t as big a fan of wine as she was but he had to admit it was a pretty good one. He could see by the approving look on her face that she liked it, too. Good. At least he’d picked a good one.

He set his glass down and picked the menu up again. He had realized one of the things he greatly enjoyed about being in New Orleans was the seafood. It was something he’d gotten used to in Georgia in his childhood, and while there were differences in the way he ate it here it was nice to have a lot of access to it again. But one of his favorite things to do was try and guess what Molly would go for. He had been pretty sure she would have gravitated towards one of the oyster appetizers, though not that particular one, and now looking at the menu again he was _fairly_ sure for her entree she’d pick either Crabmeat Karen, Veal Tounedos Chantal or if she wanted to be _really_ adventurous, the Veal Wohl and have a little of a few different things and still get her mushroom fix since she'd ordered the oysters for her appetizer. "Picked an entree yet?" he asked.

**\---**

She nibbled on her bottom lip slightly as she looked at the menu. There were so many delectable things on it. Oh, she could afford to come here anytime she wanted, thanks to her debit card. She could come and eat off of every menu they had and try every item and really, she was tempted. But tonight she simply had to choose _one_ item.

“I think...” she began. “I think I’ll go with the Veal Wohl sampler. Then I get a little bit of everything,” she said. “And I get a little bit of mushrooms to boot.”

**\---**

He watched her nibble her lip, entranced. That might be one of his favorite nervous habits of hers. She had no idea how distractingly sexy it was when she did that. He’d watched her do that for years and had to resist many urges to pull her close and kiss her, even if he’d denied the impulse to himself as a fluke. They really did have a lot of time to make up for, and he’d make the most of it.

When she said her choice, he chuckled at that. “I guessed you’d pick either that one or one of the other ones with mushrooms,” he said. “You have a thing for them. I know you well.”

**\---**

She smirked at his chuckle. “And let me guess. You’re having Shrimp Creole, even though you’re having a shrimp appetizer as well, am I correct?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. When he gave her a “damn, you do know me look,” the smirk softened and she leaned over to kiss his cheek. “We have quite a history, you and I.”

She straightened back up and had a bit more of her wine. She was enjoying her evening so far, but eager to know what else it entailed. “So, do I get any hints as to what else we’re doing? Is there theatre, perhaps? Or a concert somewhere?”

**\---**

He should have known she knew him as well as he knew her. All this time together, even when they pushed each other away at times and made stupid decisions...their bond ran deep. Sometimes he felt it ran deeper than his bond with Jim. And maybe that was a good thing. He _definitely_ didn’t want this kind of relationship with Jim, no offense to him, so it was good he had a chance of having it with someone, and there wasn’t anyone better than Molly in his opinion, even if they’d taken their sweet time getting to this point.

He grinned at her pushing for more details and simply picked up his wine glass, giving her an amused look. “Patience,” he said before taking a sip. “All will be revealed in due time, I promise. Just trust me. You’ll enjoy it, darling. You’ve enjoyed it in the past.”

**\---**

It hit her in an instant. They had done loads of stuff together in the time they’d been in New Orleans, but if it wasn’t theatre and it wasn’t music, and they weren’t dressed properly for the movies, she knew it could only mean on thing, bless him. Her eyes widened and she reached over to grab his hand. “You’re taking me dancing, aren’t you?” she asked.

Oh, if he was she may have to reward him handily when the night was over. She might have joked about her self-control not holding out and her taking him back to the cabin to shag him senseless but really, she loved dancing. None of her other beaus had ever really done that with her. And while Leonard had tended to grumble a little bit all the way up to the occasion, when it came time to whatever event or gala there was where dancing was involved he would give her as many dances as she wanted. He had always been her favourite partner, too. They fit so well together, moved so in sync. If dancing was his final surprise for the night, it was a brilliant one.

**\---**

He wanted to scowl at his surprise being ruined but the look of utter delight on her face kind of kept that from being possible. He nodded. “Yeah. But I’m not telling you where. I can at least keep _that_ a secret. Salvage some of the surprise.”

He may have complained about it before, but he’d liked dancing with her. It had been better than dancing with his ex-wife or anyone else he’d been with before, and it was the one thing that had made the few events he’d been dragged to to help promote the clinic bearable. He hated small talk and chitchat and schmoozing, but knowing he’d get a chance to have Molly in his arms most likely had made it bearable. And knowing he got to tonight and then go home with her and wake up with her the next morning? He couldn’t think of anything better.

**\---**

If it would have been at all appropriate, she would have launched herself in his arms and smothered his face with a million kisses. Oh, this truly was a spectacular first date. Even if he was keeping the location of the second half a secret, he had put so much thought into it and she was so chuffed. She knew she loved him already, but if it was at all possible, she loved him even more now.

“I will let you keep your secret,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “I will even be very good and dance with you for at least an hour before I suggest going home and showing you just how much I appreciate this very lovely first date. And trust me, I appreciate it _very_ much.”

**\---**

He grinned at what she said, careful not to show that he was eager. He had self-control, he did. They’d get through the evening and go home and he’d let her show him just how good a time she’d had tonight. And he knew he’d enjoy every minute of that, just like he’d enjoy every minute of the actual date. Any time he was in her company, he enjoyed it.

He reached over and picked up her hand, bringing it up to his lips. Yeah, it was corny, but with her, that was kind of how he was and he knew she didn’t mind. He knew she wouldn’t even give him half as much crap as Jim or Jim’s girl would, to be honest. He could see by the look on her face and the slight blush n her cheeks that she loved it, and he knew he’d do stuff like this as often as she’d let him. “Can’t wait,” he said when he was done.

**\---**

After that, she decided to change the topic of conversation as they waited for their appetizers. Conversation had always been easy between them, except the last month and a half or so, but since being in the guest house that had been rectified. They got their appetizers and place their orders for their entrees, and then when those arrived ate those as well. The food was absolutely magnificent and she was quite lucky she had room for dessert as well, having not had much of a lunch thanks to her harried schedule earlier.

After looking at the menu she and Leonard had decided to have the Bananas Foster for two. It was quite a spectacular desert, especially when lit aflame, and tasted absolutely delectable. When they were done Leonard paid the bill and they walked out of the restaurant hand in hand. When they got to the car he unlocked her door but before she got in she reached over for him, pulling him a little closer. “I just wanted to say that so far, the evening has been quite lovely,” she said, looking up at him.

**\---**

He had expected her to get into the car so that they could go off to go dancing, but he had to admit he didn’t mind the chance to be close to her for a minute. It was a little chilly out now and her dress, while pretty, wasn’t exactly warm. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders for a minute. She could give it back to him when they got to their next destination.

“Yeah?” he said, giving her a grin as he looked down at her. “There’s still more to it, you know. We need to get in the car to get there, though.”

**\---**

She moved her hands away from him to pull his jacket closer around her. It smelled like him and she took a deep whiff, enjoying the unique scent that was Leonard McCoy. She quite liked that scent and had missed it since she’d moved into the cabin. Hopefully, it would be something she’d get to get whiffs of for a long time to come.

“Well, if you don’t want a kiss before we go, I suppose I can get into my seat,” she said, removing one hand to put on his chest. “But I had rather wanted a kiss right now. I’ve been wanting one for a little while now. Since the appetizers.”

**\---**

“Must have been the oysters,” he said as his grin got a little wider. He moved his hands to her waist to pull her closer against him before ducking his head down to kiss her. He wasn’t going to get too carried away; they still had a date to finish, after all. But he could indulge her a little bit. Truth be told, he wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to kiss her.

He felt her hand slide up to cup the back of his head as she deepened the kiss and he almost worried they might end up in the backseat of the car right there, privacy be damned, but then she slowly pulled away from the kiss and she gave him a rather naughty grin. Oh, he might have to exert some _serious_ self-control for the rest of the evening. She might not get her hour dancing, he thought to himself. He wasn’t quite sure she knew the effect she had on him.

Then again, maybe she did. And maybe he had the same effect on her. It’d be _real_ interesting to see how long their evening of dancing lasted.


End file.
